Willie Nelson

Billy Nelson, son of country singer Willie Nelson, apparently committed suicide by hanging himself with a cord in his home, a coroner said.A friend found Nelson's body early Wednesday in his home in a Nashville suburb.Billy Nelson, 33, was the singer's son from his first marriage, which ended in divorce in 1963. His mother, Martha, died two years ago. He underwent a 30-day hospital program for alcohol abuse early last year.Willie Nelson was in Abbott, Texas, when he learned of his son's death, police said.

Successful marriages can result from unlikely pairings, like the first time somebody inadvertently stuck a chocolate bar into a jar of peanut butter. Others, like champagne and waffles or Willie Nelson and reggae, are probably better left sitting on the work bench in the experimental lab. It's not that this decade-old project pairing the country singer-songwriter with producer Don Was and top Jamaican musicians was inherently misguided. But in practice, Nelson's signature idiosyncratic vocal style generally doesn't mesh with the pulsing lope of the reggae beats.

EUSTIS - Depending on where they are from Maine, people pronounce the verbal nod of the head, "Eh-YUH" or "EE-yuh. " Singer and songwriter David Mallett peppers his speech with it, and so he should, having been named one of the most memorable Mainers by the Bangor Daily News, along with painter Andrew Wyeth, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and pop author Stephen King. "We come by our quirks naturally," Mallett said. Mallet will perform his evocative folk music at 3 p.m. Sunday at Olivia's Coffeehouse.

THE VILLAGES - The timing works out that Villagers will be able to wish country music legend Willie Nelson happy birthday when he performs tonight at the Savannah Center. Nelson, who turned 80 on Tuesday, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in a concert that originally was set for Feb. 4 but had to be rescheduled after the music icon came down with flu-like symptoms. The same illness early in the year also forced Nelson to cancel concerts in Estero, which was rescheduled for Tuesday, and Clearwater, where he was to play Wednesday.

As part of the "America's Minor League Baseball Parks" tour, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will perform at 6:30 p.m. May 28 at the Osceola County Stadium at Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee. Tickets: 407-839-3900. HILARY DUFF CONCERT Hilary Duff will perform Aug. 3 at the Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee. Tickets, which are $37.50 and $49.50, are on sale through Ticketmaster and at the arena box office. Tickets: 407-839-3900.

Yet another band has dropped out of SeaWorld Orlando's Bands, Brews, and BBQ Festival following online pressure prompted by the documentary "Blackfish," which is critical of the park's treatment of killer whales. REO Speedwagon followed Cheap Trick, Barenaked Ladies, Trisha Yearwood, Willie Nelson and Heart in their decision to cancel performances scheduled for February. The band removed the performance date from their website but did not say if the documentary was directly related to their decision to cancel.

Ever since the movie "Blackfish" hit U.S. theaters this summer, executives at SeaWorld have insisted that the critical documentary, which condemns the company for keeping killer whales in captivity, has had a negligible impact on its business. But in recent weeks, four musical acts - Barenaked Ladies, Willie Nelson, Heart and Cheap Trick - have canceled concerts that had been scheduled for early next year at SeaWorld Orlando. The cancellations are helping sustain "Blackfish" in the public consciousness, raising the risk that the film and its criticisms could do lasting damage to SeaWorld's brand.

Sorry, classic rockers. Nancy Wilson and sister Ann will not be going crazy in Orlando. At least, not at the 2014 edition of SeaWorld Orlando's Bands, Brew & BBQ Festival set to begin Feb. 1. Heart on Saturday became the third act to bow out of the festival amid online pressure prompted by the documentary "Blackfish," which is critical of the park's treatment of killer whales. Country singer Willie Nelson canceled Thursday. Barenaked Ladies announced last week that it had scrubbed its appearance because of the "Blackfish" controversy.

THE VILLAGES - The timing works out that Villagers will be able to wish country music legend Willie Nelson happy birthday when he performs tonight at the Savannah Center. Nelson, who turned 80 on Tuesday, will perform at 7:30 p.m. in a concert that originally was set for Feb. 4 but had to be rescheduled after the music icon came down with flu-like symptoms. The same illness early in the year also forced Nelson to cancel concerts in Estero, which was rescheduled for Tuesday, and Clearwater, where he was to play Wednesday.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Sept. 23 - 29 in PDF format This week's TV Movies SERIES Access 360: The Amazon rainforest and its fragile ecosystems are surveyed in the debut installment of this series (6 p.m. National Geographic). XIII: XIII and Jones ( Stuart Townsend , Aisha Tyler ) travel to Montana in search of Max Serle (Matthew Bennet) on a new episode of the action drama (6 p.m. Reelz). America's Next Top Model: Singer Alicia Keys has a proposition for the contestants in this new episode (8 p.m. KTLA)

Somebody once said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. On that score, "Last Ounce of Courage" is a good reminder that freedom needs constant tending, and that we owe an unending debt to those who fight and die in its name. Unfortunately, the movie, in wide release, also is a good reminder that storytelling cliches and inattention to narrative detail can detract from a movie's message. "Last Ounce of Courage" follows Bob ( Marshall Teague ), a Vietnam War hero whose son followed his example and enlisted, only to die in battle, leaving behind a loving wife, a new baby and a father who can't come to grips with his loss.

Willie Nelson "feels much better, and no other tour dates are being postponed" after the 79-year-old country singer skipped a performance over the weekend near Denver, his spokeswoman said Monday. He had been slated to appear at a benefit Saturday for the Dumb Friends League animal shelter, but he reportedly experienced problems related to the city's altitude, and had to cancel. He was not, however, hospitalized because of breathing difficulties, as had been widely reported, said his daughter, Amy. "The papers have apparently blown things out of proportion," Amy Nelson told The Times on Monday.

Mariah Carey will be crowned a "BMI Icon" at the BMI Urban Awards on Sept. 7 in Beverly Hills. Previous honorees include James Brown, Little Richard , Al Green , Willie Nelson , Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg . Each year, one songwriter affiliated with the publishing rights organization is singled out as a BMI Icon for his or her "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers. " The award ceremony also recognizes other BMI songwriters whose works have made a significant impact on pop music in the previous year.